


Nine Lives

by HyperKey



Series: Chronological Order [23]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Whump, attic shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 19:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKey/pseuds/HyperKey
Summary: The aftermath of what happened in the previous oneshot.





	Nine Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkAxolotl85](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAxolotl85/gifts).



> Because this needed resolve.... 
> 
> Read the previous oneshot first.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated.

Gavin snarled when a cloud of dust shot up into his face and made him cough as he turned away from the billowing clouds. He couldn’t even remember it being that dusty, last time he had been in the attic of his apartment.

It was a nice extra storage on the last floor, but that also meant that dust would accumulate on the double.

“Are you alright, detective?” He heard his partner ask.

Cory had been standing at the ladder, holding it when he went up. Unprompted. Gavin was sure there was some ulterior motive in this, but he couldn’t be sure. Cory was showing signs of emotion but they were far and few in between.

“Yeah,” Gavin rasped once he could breathe again. He figured it had been a bad idea to get up there without putting some sort of protective gear on. Then again, he had had no idea just how dusty it would turn out to be.

“This inquires the question of why you are investigating the attic.”

“I’m not investigating, I’m searching!” Gavin yelled back at Cory as he shoved boxes and crates aside.

The ladder creaked and Cory emerged from the hatch in the ground. “What are you looking for?”

Gavin turned at the voice suddenly being so close, hit his head at the ceiling and stumbled into a crate that caused a box to clatter to the ground. More clouds of smoke shot up between them.

Cory grabbed his arm to keep him from falling, and waved the dust away from his face with a cough. Gavin ha stopped finding it weird that an android was forced to breathe. In the beginning he had made fun of it, knowing Connor was able to turn it off.

Cory was superior in many ways, but that also made him way more sensitive to his surroundings. It wasn’t rare to find him hunched in a corner or perched under his desk after a case. He always insisted it was to ‘ _reset the sensors’_. The detective had a hard time believing that sometimes.

Right now, the android was half hunched over to be able to stand in the attic at all. The ceiling was too low, even for Gavin and he was convinced he had not thought it through when he had shoved all of his stuff up there.

“What are you searching for?” The android asked once he had let go of him.

“A shitty set of plates.”

“Does the set in the kitchen not suffice?”

A snarl echoes through the small room. “Those plates have patterns and shit. Thought Emma might like them.”

“That seems logical. Emma is very invested in colorful and floral patterns.”

That made Gavin laugh. “Well, gee slow down Tin Can, one might even think you like her.”

“Emma has avoided contact since the incident.”

Gavin grimaced. It had been a few weeks since Emma had almost killed Cory. Since then the two had avoided each other like the plague, refused to make eye contact and Emma had this constant expression of guilt on her face whenever Cory was close to her.

The android was still hooked up to the external regulator, but he had gotten used to it. While he couldn’t leave the house, he had taken a liking to the balcony, cleaned up the whole apartment and even played with the Roomba. Although he denied that fact and insisted he was testing the reaction time of the device.

“…I didn’t know she would actually try to kill an android…” Gavin muttered and settled down on the closest crate.

He had been quite stressed since the incident. For now, he was partnered back with Chris until Cory was back in action, but that was hardly a problem. It was the situation at home that bothered him. Cory and Emma had gotten along so well until the android had snapped at Gavin that one night.

“Emma tried to protect you from a potentially harmful encounter. Given her experience with androids, she has reacted correctly.” Cory explained and sat down onto the concrete floor. Due to the cable length of the external regulator he could not move far from the spot.

“You two really need to talk to each other.” Gavin sighed.

“Approaching her at this point in time might prove to be a bad idea.”

The detective was about to argue when he spotted a colorful box, hidden under a thick layer of dust. “Hah!” he exclaimed and grabbed the box. “Found it!” He blew the dust off the box, grimaced when barely any thing came off and used his hands to wipe it off.

“Let’s go back down, that shit needs cleaning.”

“Understood.” Cory nodded and slowly got back down the ladder and back into the kitchen.

Once Gavin was back in the room, Cory folded up the ladder and closed the hatch, then practically ripped the glasses off his face and threw them into the table before he started rubbing at his eyes.

“That’s no reason to cry, really.” Gavin snorted and he set the box on the counter and eyes his partner with rising suspicion in regards to the clear fluid dripping down his cheeks.

“Shit are you really crying? Why?”

“Particles of dust have contaminated the optical units. It needs to be purged to prevent damage to the sensors.”

The detective grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the sink, then turned on the water. “Here.” He practically had to push his partner into the stream of water to help him wash the dirt out of his eyes.

It was such a human sight, Gavin was almost amazed. Until he heard the front door open and almost immediately after a thud and a colorful curse. Not a second later Cory dropped like a bag of sand and Gavin could barely catch him.

“Fuck! Nines, what’s wrong?” He shouted at his partner who stared at Gavin with wide eyes and suspended breath. “Hey!” he shook him, but couldn’t get a reaction.

“I’m sorry!” Emma shouted from the hall. Gavin heard her run into the living room. “I tripped over the cable!”

“Well, put it back in!” he screamed back to make sure she heard him.

“On it!” she yelled back.

A few seconds later Cory gasped and grabbed at his chest. Gavin closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his spiked heartrate. Emma ran into the kitchen then, dropped her school bag at the door and ran up to Cory who was still sitting on the floor, half supported by Gavin.

There were words on her lips that wouldn’t be said, but maybe they didn’t have to be. She crouched down in front of the android and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry… I keep hurting you…”

“No permanent damage has been sustained.” Cory replied and brought his arms around the girl to mirror the hug.

Her hands clawed into his shirt as she fought against tears. “I really thought you were going to kill Gavin…” the tears then spilled into the black shirt of the android and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

“ _I_ apologize for scaring you, Emma.”

The girl nodded quickly, lifted her head after a moment and kissed his cheek. “I’m… I’m sorry too!” She flung herself at him again, uncaring of Gavin watching them.

The detective stood and stepped over them to open the box of plates. One was cracked, but the remaining five were still intact, and while the pin floral pattern disgusted Gavin, he knew Emma would love it.

As he took three plates to the sink, Emma always insisted Cory had his plate too, even when he didn’t eat, he noticed Cory pulling something out of his pocket.

It was a keychain with a fish on it and a pale blue ring that looked suspiciously like an LED. Emma made sure Cory still had his, then frowned. “Where did you get this?”

“Mr. Kamski sent one after requesting a gift for you. Do you like it?”

Emma bit her lip, then nodded quickly and hugged him again. “Yes.” She breathed into his shoulder. “Thank you!”

Gavin couldn’t help but notice the faint smile on his partners face. It seemed that Emma and Cory had finally cleared up their _little_ misunderstanding.

“By the way kiddo, that’s five bucks for the swear jar.” He smirked at her when he sat the plates down onto the table.

“But I only said that because Cory-…”

“Given the circumstances, it may be alright to make an exception.” Cory muttered in Gavin’s direction.

Gavin snarled. “Fine! Traitor!”

That earned him a genuine smile form the android.

Perhaps the first real smile he had ever seen on this face.

 


End file.
